Fur-Fly

Fur-Fly is in an interactive tactile display composed of individual pieces of faux fur. It explores the borders between the analog and the digital. This artwork uses real-time, sensor-driven computer technology to animate and transform visual effects projected onto the soft surface and to control the movement of the components in response to the user. Playing with the notion of images in a cloud form, the projected display and soft tufts of fur occasionally resolve into recognizable pictures. The warmth, softness, and accessibility of the display surface encourage interaction. Fur-Fly seamlessly integrates art, design, and entertainment with practical technological developments. It proposes a tactile approach to human-computer interface design. While playfully presented, the research and technology that underpin Fur-Fly have wide-ranging applications for multi-modal interaction design and assistive technologies.

Kumiko Kushiyama is an artist and interaction designer. She is currently a professor at Tokyo Metropolitan University. In 2005, she was awarded a Japanese Science and Technology Agency PRESTO research grant to develop technology based on sight and touch. Her artwork and that of her regular collaborators have been exhibited widely. In 2006, she exhibited Thermoesthesia at SIGGRAPH and at Ars Electronica. In addition, she has published extensively on her work and presented numerous papers and posters on the subject of interactive display technologies.

Shinji Sasada is an artist and advanced computer graphics designer. He is a graduate of the computer graphics program at Japan Electronics College where he is currently an instructor. His artwork has been exhibited widely in Europe and Asia, and has been included in media art festivals including ISEA, Ars Electronica, and the first Media Art Festival at the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan.

Soichiro Takeyama is studying advanced technology and computer graphics at Japan Electronics College.